Who was Raquel Welch?

Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. The family moved from Illinois to San Diego, California, when Welch was two years old. At age 14, she won beauty titles like Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. While attending La Jolla High School she won the title of Miss La Jolla and the title of Miss San Diego at the San Diego County Fair. Welch graduated with honors from high school in 1958. Welch entered San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship, and the following year she married her high school sweetheart, James Welch.

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They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer Film Productions, for whom she made One Million Years B.C. (1966). Her bikini-clad picture became best-selling posters that turned her into an international sex symbol. She later starred in Bedazzled (1967), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), and Hannie Caulder (1971). She made several television specials. In 2001, she had supporting roles in the comedy films Legally Blonde opposite Reese Witherspoon and Tortilla Soup.

She has been credited with breaking the mold of the traditional sex symbol. Welch developed a unique film persona that made her an icon of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1995, Welch was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History”. Playboy ranked Welch No. 3 on their “100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century” list.

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She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 1974 for her performance in The Three Musketeers. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Television Film for her performance in the film Right to Die (1987).

She was married four times. Apart from James, she married Patrick Curtis, Andre Weinfeld, and Richie Palmer.